Montgomery County DA announces end of national, multimillion-dollar drug ring

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced a drug bust of a multimillion dollar marijuana drug ring that spanned from California to Pennsylvania Thursday, May 23, 2013. Six individuals were arrested after a nearly year long wiretap investigation. A large cache of guns, phones, money and marijuana line a table in front of Ferman. Photo by Gene Walsh / Times Herald Staff

PLYMOUTH — Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced the take down of a $14.5 million marijuana drug trafficking ring that spanned coast to coast during a press conference Thursday morning at the Montgomery County Fire Academy.

Accompanied by law enforcement agents from Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, Ferman said “Operation: Weed Whacker” was a 15-month long wiretap investigation into marijuana trafficking in Southeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.

Charges were filed Thursday against eight individuals in the case, which Ferman called one of the biggest of its kind in recent history.

“Over the course of 15 to 16 months, through both evidence we’ve gathered and analysis of freight records, we’ve been able to track approximately 3,673 lbs. of marijuana being shipped from California to southeast Pennsylvania,” she told members of the press corps Thursday.

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“Each of those is sold in Pennsylvania for $4,000 a pound. We’re talking about an organization that — in less than a year and a half — has moved $14.5 million. That is massive.”

Brothers Dennis Frederick, 40, of Drexel Hill, and Jeffrey Frederick, 32, of Philadelphia, and Charles Sadrin, 57, of Lincoln, Calif., are considered the ringleaders of the operation. On Thursday, they were charged with the manufacture, delivery and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy and related offenses.

Authorities in Montgomery County worked with Pennsylvania State Police, Whitpain Police, Upper Merion Police, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams in dismantling the multimillion dollar drug ring.

According to an affidavit, in September 2012, the DA’s Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) launched an investigation targeting the trafficking of high-grade marijuana in Whitpain.

In November 2012, investigators learned the major source of supply sold in Montgomery County were the Frederick brothers, who were allegedly peddling hundreds of pounds of marijuana in southeast Pennsylvania.

Authorities got approval to wiretap cellular telephones and quickly learned of Sadrin’s role in the operation. According to Ferman, he routinely used large, orange tool boxes to carry pounds of marijuana from Sacramento, Calif. via a freight service.

Investigators also learned that Sadrin himself would pick up the containers using a rented pickup truck, deliver them to the Frederick brothers at a garage in South Philadelphia and then returned the empty containers back to the west coast.

“People in California may be able to grow it and even sell it legally, in their home state, but they have found a way to make more money by shipping it across the country,” said Ferman.

“I think that’s indicative of the problem we have in law enforcement, that we have different laws in different states governing the same substances.”

The Frederick brothers are said to have profited upwards of $14.69 million in the operation. They, along with Sadrin, were arraigned on May 7 before Magisterial District Justice Francis Lawrence. Because they were determined to be a flight risk, bail was set at $4 million each.

Also arrested in connection to the investigation were Ernest Peterkin, 24, of the 1900 block of Montrose Street, Philadelphia, Stanislav Dubovsky, 26, of the 1100 block of Hewson Street, Philadelphia, Martin Williams, 31, of the 700 block of Christian Street, Philadelphia, Earl DeSantis, 45, of the 800 block of South Avenue, Secane, Delaware County and John Walker, 29, of the 200 block of Seneca Street, Tinicum, Delaware County.

All are charged with the manufacture, delivery and/or possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities and criminal use of communication facilities.

Ferman said the investigation was launched by a concerned citizen simply placing a phone call to her office.